Takes A Liar To Know One
by CaptainTyphlosion
Summary: Dria's dating Terry Boot and living the lie that she's happy. She thinks she's got everyone fooled, but not a certain red haired trickster. Fred/OC. One-Shot.


**Author's Note: **Right, guys. As most of you are probably aware, I had a story called _The Book is Always Better_ but, simply put, I had no way of getting the story to the place I wanted it to be so I deleted it. This is a _**one-shot**_of a scene I had hoped to put in. In the future I may or may not do some more one-shot's for my other OC's Becca and Daniella, but at the moment, this is as far as any characters from TBIAB will go. I'm really sorry for everyone who's favourited the story and what-not but it wasn't going anywhere. No flames, please. **_Read & Review_**please. Much appreciated. :).

Enjoy.

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><p><strong>One-Shot ~ <strong>_Takes A Liar To Know One_

_Fred x OC_

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><p>In the Ravenclaw common room, in the light of the fading fire, sat a lone student, staring into its depths. Part of her wished it would stare back, give her some comfort as she sat on the navy sofa. But, of course, it didn't. No one could give her any comfort. Not anymore.<p>

Her hazel eyes continued to stare into the flickering flames. She clutched her dressing gown closer, her legs crossed under her. She didn't do this - she _never_ did this - but she couldn't sleep. It wasn't so much that she didn't want to sleep but mostly that she mentally _couldn't_. Her mind was too jumbled, her thoughts a tangled mess. So, to clear her head, she'd quietly slipped out of the girls dormitory and padded down into the common room.

When she first entered, she'd worried that someone else was up but her hesitation quickly disappeared, seeing that it was empty. However, her caution was replaced with uneasiness as she sat down, her eyes subconsciously glancing at the marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw. Dria couldn't help but feel that her house's founder was staring at her all the time she was sitting in front of the fire and it made her stomach churn.

Normally, Dria would've stayed awake whilst in bed but, along with feeling uncomfortable in the room her best friend lay sleeping in, Riley's cat Giza wouldn't leave her alone, prompting her to leave the room. Tip toeing down the stairs had been a scary experience, holding her wand in front of her to illuminate the stairs. She was terrified of waking the other students, especially the sixth and seventh years, and, as soon as the common room came into sight, she'd extinguished the light.

As she sat staring into the quickly fading light, she wished she could change everything that had happened over the past two months. She wanted to be confident enough to stop the pressure from her friends, to take back everything she'd yelled at Riley the night of their fight, everything she'd said to Fred - how she regretted those words!

They haunted her, the lies. They were an anchor, constantly pulling her down until she drowned in her own mind. She'd spent every day of the past month wishing she hadn't said what she had to Riley; she needed her friend now, more than ever. Riley would've known what to say to make her feel better, to get her back on her feet.

As the last of the flames began to die away, Dria hugged her knees and her tears began to stream down her cheeks. She'd never felt so alone in her life.

Her dark hair came undone from it's plait as she stared at the stairs, the sound of footsteps echoing in her head. She gripped her wand, though what she would do she didn't know; it wasn't like she could do anything to another student. The fact that she was probably a mess didn't even register with her as the footsteps got closer, the light from a wand illuminating the stairs a few feet ahead of them.

Hazel eyes met sapphire and the fire behind her grew brighter as the girl on the stairs waved her wand towards it.

"You've never been good at charms," said Riley, the light from her wand lighting up her heart shaped face. With a muttered, "_Nox_," her spell ended and she stepped forward cautiously, eyes narrowed.

_At least it isn't Terry_, thought Dria, inhaling slowly. But she wasn't sure why, exactly, her best friend had followed her down. Staring at Riley again, she shook her head, turning back to the now stronger fire.

She didn't look at Riley as she sat on the sofa next to her, pulling her legs up. Dria watched her out of the corner of her eye; she flipped her hair over her shoulder, absentmindedly fiddling with a strand as she usually did when she thought. Dria had no idea how to start the conversation; how to even _begin_ apologising.

There had been so much said between them - so much _anger_ in their words that Dria could not find the words. No, there was no words. She'd crossed the line and kept walking and now Riley probably wouldn't forgive her. As the silence dragged on, Dria waited for Riley to say something, unable to think of anything to begin a conversation between them.

"So," Riley began at last, her voice no more than a whisper. "How's Terry?" Dria looked at her, processing her words. There was no anger or resentment in them, she was simply curious. Riley and Terry had been good friends, after all; they'd barely spoken since Dria's argument with her.

"He's, uh," Dria replied, "he's good."

Riley nodded, her blonde bob bouncing. She never said another word and Dria, eager to have some normalcy between them, allowed more words to leave her lips.

"He misses you," she said quietly.

Riley half smiled, "He should. I would miss me too." Dria smiled; Riley's cockiness, though infuriating, never failed to make her smile. Dria almost regretted using that against her.

"Riley," the brunette began, turning to look at her. "I'm so, so sorry. I can't- There's no-"

"Dria, stop," was all the blonde said in reply. "I don't care."

"But, I _lied_," Dria pressed. "About everything." Quietly - so quietly that Riley almost missed it - Dria added, "I still am."

Dria and Riley kept eye contact the whole time and Riley could almost see the memories playing through her mind. The brunette, though she cared for Riley very much, had said those venomous words with the intent to harm her and it wasn't something she could easily forgive. But, on the other hand, Riley's words had harmed her too and, even if they were true, she knew Dria would have difficulty forgiving her as well.

As Dria looked at Riley, she remembered all the insults she'd thrown, each more malicious than the last. She remembered Riley's accusations about her relationship with Terry, how she'd seen through the fake smiles, and she exhaled deeply. It was no wonder she and Riley were best friends, now that she thought about it. Besides being able to tell her _any_thing, most of the time she didn't have to. Riley could tell what was wrong by just looking at her.

Dria opened her mouth to speak but Riley said, "You sorted things with Fred?" Dria froze, eyes downcast. Riley added, "I'll take that as a 'no'." Dria rested her chin on her knees, staring into the fire.

Fred Weasley. The first man she'd fallen in love with but not the first she'd ended up with. Instead she'd chosen to ignore him and listen to her peers, pressured into going out with a boy she considered her brother. How she regretted that now. The last time she'd spoken to Fred, she'd lied to him, just like she was lying to everyone.

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><p><em>A month into her relationship with Terry Boot, Dria was already finding places to get some peace. When her usual quiet spot was intruded on by Terry, her 'boyfriend', and her friends Becca, a Hufflepuff, and Daniella, a Slytherin, she decided it was time to make a change.<em>

_And so, she ended up strolling along the Black Lake, watching the water wash up to the shore and back again, finding solace in the steady rhythm. Pulling her cloak closer to her, she settled down on a nearby rock, rubbing her hands together in an attempt to warm them up. Things with the girls had been rocky ever since Riley and Dria had fought, words being thrown that the two soon regretted. Despite this, their pride stopped them from apologising to each other._

_It had been a month since they last spoke. And Dria missed her best friend dearly._

_A cool wind blew her dark hair from her eyes and she heard footsteps coming towards her. Keeping her gaze forward, she didn't look to see who it was, expecting the worst. Whoever it was sat beside her on the rock and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw he was tall. She sighed, still rubbing her hands together._

"_So," began Fred, awkwardly. "I heard you and Terry are an item now." Dria glanced up at Fred, raising an eyebrow._

"_Jealous?" She questioned, amused._

_He scoffed, "As if."_

_Dria smiled, the first real smile she'd had in weeks. When she glanced up at Fred, however, she saw he was frowning, trying to get his head around something. It was her turn to frown._

"_What's wrong?" She asked softly. He stared down at her, as if she were a puzzle he couldn't solve._

"_You've always been so easy for me to read," he said, folding his arm across his chest. "But your actions of late have surprised me."_

_Dria replied, "Easy to read, hm? This is the first I've heard of this."_

_Fred shrugged, "Just speaking the truth."_

_The fifteen year old continued to stare at him, suddenly feeling uneasy about the conversation. This time, he met her eyes and she bit her lip, getting to her feet._

"_Fred, where is this conversation going?" She asked. "Dinner will be soon and Umbridge-"_

"_I don't care," snapped Fred, "about Umbridge. You, however, are a different matter entirely."_

_Dria immediately said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."_

"_It's so _obvious_, Dria. You're _not happy_ and your little act doesn't fool me."_

_Her anger building, Dria stepped back, hands on her hips. Though the action was meant to show her frustration, she couldn't help but shiver at the cold weather around her. She regretted leaving her gloves in the dormitory. Fred stood, his tall figure towering over her._

"_You think I haven't noticed how you hide from your boyfriend?" He said, voice cold. "The library was your quiet spot, right? You told me that before." Against her better judgement, she nodded and Fred continued, "So now that you can't be alone there, you come out here?"_

"_I'll admit that I came out here to be alone," Dria snapped at him, "but that's kind of counterproductive with you here."_

"_Oh, don't give me that, Dria," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm only out here to get the truth out of you."_

_Dria froze, her scowl melting off her face._

"_The truth?" She echoed slowly. Fred nodded, almost smug._

"_You may be able to fool your friends and even _George_," he said, "but not me." He knew her well, that much was true, but _why did he care_? Her scowl turned to a glare as she folded her arms across her chest, mirroring his stance._

"_I spoke to Riley," Fred continued and Dria's face fell. "She's your best friend."_

"_I know she's my best friend," Dria growled. "Or she _was_. I don't know if you've realised, but we're not actually speaking-"_

"_I know. It's all she talks about."_

_Dria froze for a moment, staring at Fred. He looked completely serious but he was a well known joker; there was no way she could tell if he was being truthful or if he was just saying that to get her to speak to Riley. She rolled her eyes._

"_Why are you here, Fred?" She asked quickly, suddenly very interested in getting back to the dormitory. _

_Fred sighed, "I already told you."_

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><p>Riley had joined her in staring at the fire, not a word said between them. Dria sighed, uncomfortable. Riley was now picking at a loose thread on the sofa, eyes never moving from the flames.<p>

"Riley," Dria murmured. "Do you hate me?" Riley's hands abruptly stopped moving and her eyes landed on the brunette so fast that Dria almost jumped.

"Hate you?" Riley repeated, a grim smile on her face. "Do I _hate_ you?" She paused, frowning and, after a moment, said, "Maybe in the beginning I did. Right after the argument. But I'm pretty sure you hated me too." Dria nodded agreeing.

"We weren't speaking," she said, "so, obviously, we disliked each other."

Riley nodded, saying, "But after a few weeks of silence between us, I… Well, I, uh, I missed you." She turned away, fiddling with the thread again and keeping her gaze trained on the fireplace. She added, "Fred and George really helped. Mostly Fred. I told him everything - my suspicions about you and Terry, how unhappy you were, how crappy my life was now I didn't have my best friend-"

"Fred listened to you," Dria interrupted. "He spoke to me afterwards. Told me he believed you…"

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><p>"<em>You don't love him!" Fred said angrily. "Everyone else might believe your lies but I don't! And neither does Riley!"<em>

"_You already said that, Fred," Dria sighed, voice quiet. She knew shouting with him would do no good. She asked, "But why do you care so much?"_

_Fred's reply was short and irritable, "Because I don't think _Terry's_ worth losing your friends over." Dria shook her head, incredulous._

"_You've never liked him, Fred. Why is now any different?" Fred's gaze hardened as she spoke._

_Then, he growled, "I don't trust him. I don't know why you're going out with him, after the way he treated you at the Yule Ball."_

_Dria sighed, rolling her eyes. She told him, "I forgave him for that. We moved on."_

"_But Riley's done something so terrible that she has to leave her friends?"_

"_I never said she had to leave!"_

"_You implied it!" _

"_No, I didn't!" Dria groaned loudly, spinning on her heel and gripping her hair. "_Merlin_, Fred, why are you being such an ass?"_

"_Me?" He exclaimed, laughing. "I'm the ass? What about you? You're the one lying to everyone!"_

"_Just stop, Fred, please-" _

"_As soon as you get a grip."_

_Whirling round to face him, she glared, furious. She knew shouting at him wouldn't help but she couldn't stop herself - he was just so infuriating._

"_Why do you even care so much?" She asked, voice border lining enraged. "Are you jealous? Is that was this is about?" Fred didn't answer and she laughed, the sound cold, even to her. "That's it, isn't it?" She knew she was pushing it, pressing all the buttons that got him wound up but she couldn't stop. "Well, maybe if you'd decided to ask me out when you had the chance, we wouldn't be having this conversation now, would we?" Fred, startled, looked at her._

"_I just-"_

"_Just what?" She interrupted, shaking her head. She sighed, folding her arms across her chest again. "Not that it matters anyway. I need to get back to the common room."_

_She began walking away, stumbling slightly on the stones beneath her feet. She pulled her cloak tighter to her, trying to pick up her pace. And then, there was a hand on her should, spinning her round. Before she could retort, Fred had pressed his lips to hers, gently and passionately and, despite her minds protests, she kissed him back. She didn't know why; it seemed like her body had decided to react in the only way it saw fit but that didn't matter. Their kiss ended, both of them breathless and longing for more._

_Dria, meeting his eyes, snapped back to reality, remembering she was taken. She stepped back, confused and dazed but Fred took her hands. _

"_Look me in the eyes," he whispered, "and tell me you felt nothing."_

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><p>"What did you tell him?" Riley asked, interested. There was a small smile on her face; she'd obviously never heard this story from Fred. Dria smiled sadly, knowing she expected a happy ending. A secret romance, perhaps? A forbidden love?<p>

Dria said, staring at the fire again, wishing it would consume her, "I lied."

Riley gaped at her, surprised, before; "But you _love_ him, don't you?"

Dria nodded, "More than anything."

"Then _what are you doing_?"

Dria looked at her, shocked. How could she not see? How could she tell her she needed to go to Fred when she was with Terry?

Dria said, distressed, "How can you say that? I'm a _coward_, Riley! I won't tell Terry because I'm scared of what Becca and Daniella will think!"

Riley said, "Screw them! You don't belong with Terry, Dria, you belong with Fred!"

Dria swallowed, thinking on her words as she looked at her. Riley was smiling, amused at the dramatic situation. But was she right? Was it true that she and Terry were not right for each other? From what Riley was saying, it sounded as if the whole situation was a giant puzzle and she and Terry did not fit together. Riley was nodding, seeing the cogs turn in her head.

"Dria," she murmured, taking her hands. "You need to speak to Fred."

"But, Terry-"

"Dria, _Fred is the priority_."

"No, wait," Dria said, shaking her head to clear her mind. She took a deep breath. "Firstly; Fred probably hates me. Secondly; Terry is the priority. If I'm going to do anything, it would be end the relationship."

Riley, though thoroughly confused in the beginning, slowly began to smile. Her grin broadened until she started to laugh, throwing her arms around her friend. Dria laughed as well, thankful to have her best friend back. They sat together, crying and laughing, making plans for the next morning.

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><p>The next morning, the other three girls in the dormitory were slightly surprised and confused at the sudden change in Riley and Dria. Both were now happy, joking and laughing as they left the room to go to breakfast. As they left the common room, having realised Terry was probably already at breakfast, Riley was murmuring reassuring sentences to Dria, telling her to be calm throughout the whole situation.<p>

"We enter the Great Hall like nothing's wrong," she was saying as they came to the Entrance Hall. "You go to Terry, ask to talk to him." Dria decided it best not to mention that people would notice that they were suddenly talking again.

As expected, the Ravenclaws already gathered at breakfast hushed seeing them enter and, though she hoped she hadn't made it obvious that she was looking for him, she saw George nudge Fred at the Gryffindor table, gesturing to them. Dria kept her smile on her face, even as Riley sat down, and came to a stop near Terry.

"Terry," she said quietly, "we need to talk."

"You could've at least let me say morning," Terry grumbled back, chuckling. Dria smiled.

"This can't wait."

She gripped his arm and led him out of the Great Hall, hoping Fred could see what she was doing.

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><p>The break up had gone better than she expected it to. Terry had been surprisingly understanding about the whole situation and they'd even hugged by the end, agreeing to still be friends. Dria was nervous about that - how many couples who used that line actually stayed friends? - but she decided to give it a shot for the sake of their friendship.<p>

She hadn't been surprised that there was witnesses to the break up and she hadn't been surprised at Becca and Daniella's rant about it either. No, what she had been surprised about, was the way she could breathe freely again. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest and she felt good; better than she had for a long time.

Dria was happy to have her quiet spot in the library back and she'd even made a big deal out of telling everyone to leave her be as she visited the library. Riley had only laughed while Becca and Daniella had tried to argue, telling her there was more to be said. Dria brushed them off, walking away with a smile on her face.

Her day was turning out better than she'd hoped it would. And she was loving every second of it. She took her usual table near the window, settling in and propping her Transfiguration book to the right page. Digging her quill and ink out of her bag, she smiled to herself as she began to scribble down her notes.

Finally, the world seemed right again.

She must've spent an hour in the library alone, studying. There was ink smudged on her paper and hands. She'd even succeeded in getting some on her cheek, though she hardly noticed. She was just turning to a new chapter when there was a cough in front her, startling her into looking up. Her smile faltered for a moment before returning, though slightly uneasy.

"Hi, Fred," she said quietly. Fred said nothing, taking the seat across from her. Dria hoped another shouting match wouldn't erupt; she didn't want to disturb the peace of the library, after all.

She placed her quill into the ink pot, giving Fred her full attention. She had no clue where to start, just like Riley. Luckily for her, Fred seemed patient, staring at her with an amused expression on her face. She noticed his hair looked scruffier than usual and couldn't help biting her lip. It didn't hinder how gorgeous he looked at all. Dria placed her hands on the table, hoping he hadn't noticed how they shook. She was just so damn _nervous_!

At last, he said, "So I heard you broke up with Boot."

Dria laughed nervously, "Yeah."

Fred nodded, leaning back on the chair and placing his hands behind his head, "Took you long enough."

Dria looked at him, wide eyed. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Fred grinned wolfishly and said, "You didn't belong together."

Dria raised her eyebrows, saying, "You don't happen to have been speaking to Riley, have you?"

Fred shrugged, saying, "Maybe."

Dria smiled, shaking her head. She decided she wanted to avoid bringing up their argument as much as possible; she wanted to act normal and see what happened from there onwards. She leaned forward on the table, folding her arms in front of her. Fred mimicked her actions.

"She didn't happen to tell you who I _do_ belong with, did she?" She asked softly, smiling mischievously. Fred grinned, leaning in further.

"Maybe," he whispered as a reply.

Dria, though slightly nervous, leaned in further; "That's not a very straight answer."

"I think you already know the answer."

And with that he captured her lips with his and all of her nervousness dissipated, replaced with elated joy. Yes, she and Fred were puzzle pieces, designed to fit together perfectly. He pulled back, grinning at her and she giggled.

"You, Mr Weasley," she said, "need to come here more often."

"I think I could do that," he replied. "But I won't be studying if you're here."

Dria shrugged, saying, "I can live with that."

And they leaned into each other again, all thoughts of Transfiguration slipping from Dria's thoughts like smoke.


End file.
